Polito's Take: Time to flush Tamerlan

Do you smell that? It's the stench of cowardice. Right now, it's the only thing in Massachusetts that smells worse than the stink of terrorist bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev's corpse. The backbones of our elected officials have steadily decomposed since last Friday when the body of Tamerlan was slid into a cooler at a Worcester funeral home. Refrigeration has slowed the decay of his remains while politicians have practiced self-preservation by avoiding any involvement in the controversy over what to do with Tamerlan's body.

Earlier this week, I recommended this terrorist be buried in a state prison cemetery until suitable arrangements could be made. Let him rot in the ground alongside murderers and pedophiles whose remains were not claimed. On Wednesday, Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme confirmed that a plan was adopted to do just that, but it was stopped. He did not name the individuals who stood in the way of this reasonable solution, but he went on to say that his phone calls appealing that decision went unanswered. I know Chief Gemme, he's a good man. He's also not a politician. I would relish him naming all the gut-less wonders who have ignored or declined his calls for help. He won't, he's a professional and just wants to get the job done.

There's an old expression, "The fish rots from the head." In this stinky mess that means Governor Deval Patrick. With just one phone call he could "Febreze" this entire fiasco. All it would take is a call to a state prison with an order to bury the bomber or to his friend in the White House with a request to give Tamerlan the "Tidy Bowl" treatment alongside Osama Bin Laden. Instead, the man who believes it takes a village and an EBT card to raise a child is falling back on the excuse that burials of terrorists are a family matter. And speaking of welfare, how about a check from the state or feds for Worcester to cover the mounting cost of providing security around the funeral home? It's almost $40,000. The funeral director can pay a small portion, but the remainder should not be on the backs of Worcester taxpayers. Consider it a fee for taking the garbage out of Boston.

Cox Media Group